ADRIAN PADEANU wrote:With 600 horsepower on tap or 40 more than its predecessor, there's nothing entry-level about this car.

The modern-day California was originally introduced back in 2008 to act as the base Ferrari before being replaced in 2014 by a turbocharged version suitably called California T. Fast forward to present day, the Maranello squad has decided to drop the “California” label for the hardtop's newest iteration and replace it with Portofino, as a nod to a little city located in northwest Italy.

Looking considerably sharper than its predecessor, the new Portofino is more than just a thorough facelift of the old California T as it uses an all-new and significantly lighter chassis. Ferrari has not released details about the car’s exact weight, but it has to be lower than the 3,582 pounds (dry) of the model before it. Torsional rigidity has been boosted as a result of the new underpinnings.

The biturbo V8 engine has been massaged to deliver more oomph and it now packs an extra 40 horsepower, thus enabling the 3.9-liter unit to churn a nicely rounded figure of 600 hp (441 kW) at 7,500 rpm. Torque has slightly increased as well by 5 Nm (4 lb-ft) to 760 Nm (560 lb-ft) from 3,000 rpm.

Thanks to more power wrapped in a lighter package, the Portofino hardtop is a tenth of a second quicker in the sprint to 62 mph (100 kph), which now takes only three and a half seconds. Take it to the max and it will top out at more than 199 mph (320 kph), or slightly higher than the 196-mph California T.

Aside from getting a more appealing outer skin, new hardware, and a stronger engine, the newest Ferrari base model takes advantage of the company’s third-gen electronic rear differential as well as the electric power steering system. As a result of these upgrades, grip and control have both been improved, while the steering ratio has been reduced by 7%.

Hopping inside, the Portofino uses Ferrari’s latest and greatest 10.2-inch touchscreen and a redesigned steering wheel. Other goodies on the menu include a newly developed more efficient air-conditioning system, a passenger display, and 18-way electrically adjustable seats with a modified backrest configuration to grant passengers sitting in the back with more legroom as it would be appropriate for a GT.

Nogai211 wrote:The only reason PC is better than Console is because it has Civilization V!

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